Chapter 4 of The Inheritors is here in full — 417 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Inheritors is here in full — 417 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"You?" I said. "What blessed chance brought you here?" "Oh, I am your aunt's companion," she answered, "her niece, you know." "Then you _must_ be a cousin," I said.
Chapter 4 of The Inheritors is here in full — 417 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading “"Oh, I am your aunt's companion," she answered, "her niece, you know."”
possessive form of “aunt” — the sister of your father or mother; the wife of your uncle
From this reading “"Oh, I am your aunt's companion," she answered, "her niece, you know."”
highly favored or fortunate (as e.g. by divine grace)
From this reading “"What blessed chance brought you here?"”
inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading “"What blessed chance brought you here?"”
a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances
From this reading “"What blessed chance brought you here?"”
a friend who is frequently in the company of another
From this reading “"Oh, I am your aunt's companion," she answered, "her niece, you know."”
the child of your aunt or uncle
From this reading “"Then you _must_ be a cousin," I said.”
a daughter of your brother or sister
From this reading “"Oh, I am your aunt's companion," she answered, "her niece, you know."”
Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.
Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading "Then you _must_ be a cousin," I said.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading "Oh, I am your aunt's companion," she answered, "her niece, you know."
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading "Oh, I am your aunt's companion," she answered, "her niece, you know."
possessive form of “aunt” — the sister of your father or mother; the wife of your uncle
From this reading "Oh, I am your aunt's companion," she answered, "her niece, you know."
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "Then you _must_ be a cousin," I said.
highly favored or fortunate (as e.g. by divine grace)
From this reading "What blessed chance brought you here?"
inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading "What blessed chance brought you here?"
a possibility due to a favorable combination of circumstances
From this reading "What blessed chance brought you here?"
a friend who is frequently in the company of another
From this reading "Oh, I am your aunt's companion," she answered, "her niece, you know."
the child of your aunt or uncle
From this reading "Then you _must_ be a cousin," I said.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "Oh, I am your aunt's companion," she answered, "her niece, you know."
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading "What blessed chance brought you here?"
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I said.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "Oh, I am your aunt's companion," she answered, "her niece, you know."
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading "Then you _must_ be a cousin," I said.
a daughter of your brother or sister
From this reading "Oh, I am your aunt's companion," she answered, "her niece, you know."
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh, I am your aunt's companion," she answered, "her niece, you know."
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading I said.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Oh, I am your aunt's companion," she answered, "her niece, you know."
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading "Then you _must_ be a cousin," I said.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What blessed chance brought you here?"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You?"
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Oh, I am your aunt's companion," she answered, "her niece, you know."
Chapter 4 of The Inheritors by Joseph Conrad holds 417 sentences, grouped into 84 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.
Chapter 4 holds 417 sentences of The Inheritors, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Inheritors by Joseph Conrad exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 417 sentences, grouped into 84 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.
Work through the 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 4 can be played aloud in United States English.
Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.
Common questions about reading The Inheritors by Joseph Conrad on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4413 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #14888 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #14888, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 367 minutes of reading across 883 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Inheritors section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of The Inheritors to begin.
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in The Inheritors, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
